Kiwiriki Bay, Great Barrier Island
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Position: 36 11.97 S 175 21.02 E It was a welcome change to wake in a quiet anchorage, surrounded by rocky cliffs, steep hills covered in a thick growth of small trees and broad-leafed ferns, and to crisp sounding bird song in the cool morning air. At 0930, after a cup of tea and some breakfast, I hoisted the mainsail, weighed anchor and sailed out of Overlook Cove to continue into Port Fitzroy, a natural harbour that sits between Kairoura and Great Barrier Islands. The breeze was from ahead but it was light, the shoreline was steep to and the sun was shining. It would have been a desecration to the peaceful atmosphere to have started the engine, even if the engine is a lot quieter than pre-refit now that most of the shaft bearings have been replaced. Our original intention was to sail to Smoke House Bay, a popular anchorage amongst yachties as, according to the Royal Akarana Yacht Club’s Coastal Cuising Handbook, it has three smokehouses, coppers, tubs and fresh-water showers available courtesy of one Mr Eric Webster. However, as we approached the anchorage it became clear it was pretty crowded and we thought likely to get more crowded over the weekend. So we decided to find an alternative spot to anchor in for a few days as we had quite a few other secluded bays to choose from. We ended up deciding on Kiwiriki Bay as it was unoccupied by other boats, was well sheltered, and was very pretty with two small steep rocky islets guarding its western entrance. As we had departed our morning’s anchorage, so we entered Kiwiriki Bay, under sail. We rounded up into to wind at 1130 and let go the anchor in nine meters of clear blue water, as Kate allowed the mainsail to come tumbling down into its lazy jacks. After lunch it was out with paint pots to finish off some painting on deck, namely the side of the coach house. Once this was done, we rewarded ourselves with a row around the northern of the two islets and thence to a small cove a cable to the north of the islet. Here we beached the dinghy to give its bottom a scrub. The relatively warm water and the still air and sunshine made the invitation for a dip impossible to refuse. Now, back on board, we look forward to pizza and movie night. All is well.
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